#ShakeOut for Earthquake Preparedness Week

Governor Henry McMaster will proclaim that Preparedness Awareness Week for 2017 be observed October 15-21 in South Carolina. The S.C. Emergency Management Division encourages everyone to take this opportunity to learn about our state’s seismic fault system and how best to prepare for earthquakes. A highlight of the week will be the Great Southeast ShakeOut on Thursday, October 19 at 10:19 in the morning.

The epicenter of the largest earthquake ever recorded along the eastern United States seaboard was just outside of Charleston on August 31, 1886. The 7.3 magnitude quake devastated the region and was felt from Chicago, Ill, to Cuba. According to a study commissioned by SCEMD, an earthquake of similar magnitude would result in tremendous loss of life, severe property damage and extreme economic loss. Results of the study are detailed in the South Carolina Earthquake Guide.

The Great ShakeOUT is open to everyone in South Carolina. Similar to other emergency preparedness drills sponsored by SCEMD, the signal to begin the drill will be broadcast at 10:19 a.m. on NOAA tone-alert weather radio and broadcast media. Schools, businesses, neighborhood groups, families and individuals are all encouraged to take part in this important preparedness event.

Registration on the Southeast ShakeOut site is an important part of this event.

Make sure your ShakeOUT is counted South Carolina in the national totals! To register, go to www.shakeout.org/southeast. Be sure to include the total number of people taking part in the drill with you. More than 1.4 million participants total from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have registered so far.

The South Carolina Earthquake Guide is available for the first time statewide via the Senior P.R.E.P. section at every Walgreens store in the state. The S.C. Earthquake Guide is the first publication that details South Carolina-specific information on what citizens should do before, during and after a major earthquake.